St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-26

united. | have more profound
contempt for Democrat vino
would attempt to cheat another
in convention than for any
other animal under the sun: nope Inc
brave men of Ouachita will set their
faces against any hocus pocus, against
any sharp practices by which their
fellow Democrats are to be cheated out
of their votes. / have given nearly all
my political life to the discussion or
federal and national questions concern
ing the tariff, the currency, the, lnl-
provement of onr rivers aud harborS,
especially the Mississippi, concerning
the federal government and land
grants. questions relating to education,
etc. With these matters | am some--
what familiar from long study, but
am not 80 familiar with what is called
local politics. When | look from the
capitol at Washington on the people OF
Louisiana they all seem like ono house
hold. with Il common interest. AS |
have been honored with a commission
in congress by the Democratic party of
Louisiana, regret that there should be
factions and personal discussions IN
fact that it is inevitable. You
cannot get all men to think
alike whether you adopt the Ouachlta
plan OF any other plan. NO man has
discovered a patent for controlling the
human heart or mind. We are differ
emily constituted. We may have the
same end in view but employ
DIFFERENT MEANS
TO reach it. You may be a radical
Democrat use the term i'll kindly
HpGIUnafA who bent
on purely political ends rather than the
welfare of the country; d man VINO rec
CARDS party discipline as above party
principles-or you may DO conserva-
tive Democrat, who would rather
sacrifice his party interests in things
not essential than to sacrlnce the
general welfare of the people, man
who regards party as an organization
and fundamentally merely for the pub
differences, we should not fail to re-
member that the positions we occupy
are high positions of trust, not ours,
but the peoples, conferred upon us. not
for our benefit, but for their benefit, and
that even the Office OF governor does
not preclude a man from criticism. |
don't think the governor Of d state
ought to set himself up as above crltl-
clsm. | would always speak OF gentle
men occupying these positions with a
certain reserve and respect, because
see IN them the majesty and power OF
the people, but when gentleman comes
before the people soliciting their suit
trages for his election. when he steps
out of senatorial or governors char
and asks the people TO vote for hlm tor
his own successor criticism of him IS
not criticism OF the Democratic party. 1t
is the candidate that IS criticised. A
man may Crltlclse senator CT the
United States without crlticisiDg the
party to which he belongs. lie may
also
CRITICIZE A GOVERNOR
who is ca ndida:e for reelection with
or representatives, or governors Of
states are not the Democratic party.
No, citizens, the people IN their
homes. in their workshops, in all
vocatlons, the frugal, industrious,
honest, hard working people, they
constitute the Democratic party.
That is the glory of the Democratic
party, and the ottice-holders are their
servants. They are accountable to
them, and for that reason take respect-
full exception to the attitude of Gov
ernor McEnery and his friends
that when this simple gentleman comes
before the people of his state in a mod
est way, going from parish to parish
and asking his acknowledgements to
nominate him to be their candidate for
governor, l say take exception when
Governor McEnery says that Is max
ing an attack on the Democratic party.
How is thatf Is not Governor McEn
cry doing the same thing! Is he not
going from parish TO parish
and asking the. people to
h.p,
If 1T is right Ill Governor McEnery can
it be wrong in General Methodist Can
not a private citizen go before the
people and ask them to vote for him 1t
the governor can do 1t! This is not
Democracy whether 1t comes from Sem
ayor Eusrls or Governor McEnery OR
ANYBODY else. | might as we'll say,
throwing my coat back in this style,
that am senator of the United States,
that when come back to the state OF
Louisiana am confronted by a faction
headed by the governor OF the state
which is
MAKING WAR
on the Democratic party, and de-
nounce the governor and his friends for
making war on the party of which am
a high Official. That would be wrong
it would be illogical. l think that
when the governor ana his friends as
sert that Nicholls-whois going through
the state accompanied mostly by men
not holding official positlons-that
he is making war on the party,
the governor has made a mis-
take. The two cases are different.
Governor McEnery mas been highly and
Justly honored by the people of Louisi-
ana, but if he was defeated for the next
governorship the Democratic party
would survive. 1t would survive if
General Nichols were defeated. If YOU
take all contentious men, senators,
representatives, high officials of the
state, governors, treasurers tax COL
lectors, and sink them in the gulf OF
Mexico it might create a little disturb
ance here and there, tears for some. re-
grets for others, but the great Dem
0cratic party would go on. Other
men would arise to take their
places, with similar ambitions. another
man would take my place, and would be
talking perhaps just as am talking in
favor of one man against another. That
is our life. So we pass on from the morn
ing TO midday, and then into night, and
are closed out at the last. 1.-THE waves OF
the shoreless sea rolling over us for
ever"
After few more remarks General
Gibson closed his address.
Mr.. Garrett said he would try to an
swer the question with regard to the
Ouachita pIan-that it certainly did
not consist of stealing ballots of any
man.
The audience was then dismissed.
Governor McEnery's Family APP
pointmentS.